Image via Nike
Thanksgiving weekend usually correlates with trekking to your local mall (or laptop these days) to get some deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But in the sneaker world, there are still some worthy options hitting stores this week that are worth their full retail price.
Drops start on Wednesday with the "Space Jam" Nike SB Dunk High. They pick back up on Black Friday after a break for Thanksgiving with the "Class of '77" Slam Jam x Nike Blazer Mid, "Bloodline" Air Jordan I High OG, "Sister Cities" Ubiq x Adidas Crazy BYW II, and a limited run of the Clot x Fragment x Nike Air Force 1.
The releases conclude on Saturday with the brand new "Vast Grey" Air Jordan XI, Undercover x Nike Air Max 720 collection, and a new colorway of the Air Max Plus III.
For a detailed look at all of this week's releases, here is a Complete Guide to This Weekend's Sneaker Releases.
Nike SB Dunk High 'Space Jam'
Price: TBD
When: Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 10 a.m.
Where: Nike SNKRS and other select retailers
What You Need to Know: The latest Nike SB Dunk High takes inspiration from one of the most popular Air Jordan releases of all time. Designed to mimic the "Space Jam" Air Jordan XI, the pair sports an black patent leather and mesh upper, white midsole, icy bottoms, and subtle royal blue hits. This pair even features the "23" branding usually found on the heel of the XI on its heel pull tab cleverly flipped to read "SB." Nike SB has previously taken this approach for a Dunk Low back in 2011.
Slam Jam x Nike Blazer Mid 'Class of 77'
Price: TBD
When: Friday, Nov. 29
Where: Slam Jam stores and Nike SNEAKERS (UK)
What You Need to Know: Italy's Slam Jam is following up its Nike Blazer Mid collaboration from earlier this year with an inverted take on the original release for Black Friday. The "Class of '77" will be a European exclusive limited to 1,977 pairs. A black canvas and suede upper is accented by white leather Swooshes, "Class" and "1977" on each respective heel tab, and a red and white tongue tab. The standout feature is the inverted Swooshes on each medial side panel.
Air Jordan I High OG 'Bloodline'
Price: $160
When: Friday, Nov. 29 at 10 a.m.
Where: Nike SNKRS and other select retailers
What You Need to Know: Another new Air Jordan I is hitting Jordan Brand accounts on Black Friday. Dressed in a familiar black, red, and white color scheme, the pair is inspired by a commercial for the Air Jordan I that aired back in 1985. Each insole shows off the question asked in the ad, "Who said man was not meant to fly?" Despite the signature color palette, this release sets itself with a double-layered upper design.
Clot x Fragment x Nike Air Force 1 'Black Silk'
Price: TBD
When: Friday, Nov. 29
Where: Clot Parco Shibuya
What You Need to Know: Clot is following its recently-released Nike Air Force 1 collaboration with a similar project that adds Hiroshi Fujiwara's Fragment to the mix. Dropping on Black Friday, the pair switches out the royal blue upper used on the prior release for black. Like before, the upper can be burned or torn to reveal a bright red layer underneath, and sits atop gum bottoms.
Ubiq x Adidas Crazy BYW II 'Sister Cities'
Price: $170
When: Friday, Nov. 29 at 10 a.m.
Where: Ubiq stores and ubiqlife.com
What You Need to Know: For Black Friday, Ubiq has collaborated with Adidas on the "Sister Cities" Crazy BYW II. A white mesh upper is covered in copious amounts of 3M. Red accents are found on the left shoe, while royal blue is used on the right. Volt Three Stripes and a matching outsole complete the design. The nickname is a callback to the sister cities of Ubiq’s two locations in Philadelphia and Georgetown, Incheon and Seoul, South Korea. The concept was created after World War II in 1947 to connect cultures across the world.
Air Jordan XI 'Vast Grey'
Price: $220
When: Saturday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m.
Where: Nike SNKRS and other select retailers
What You Need to Know: Continuing tradition, Jordan Brand is delivering a new batch of Air Jordan XIs for the holiday season. Before the classic "Black/Red" retro release in December, the brand new "Vast Grey" option will hit shelves. The premium pair features a white leather upper and a silver metal Jumpman stamped on the lateral heel. The usual patent leather overlay has been replaced with a shimmering metallic silver panel instead. As always, the upper sits atop icy bottoms.
Undercover x Nike Air Max 720
Price: $200
When: Saturday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m.
Where: Nike SNKRS and other select retailers
What You Need to Know: Undercover continues its frequent projects with Nike. This time, Jun Takahashi's brand has produced three new colorways of the Air Max 720. Originally debuted back in January during Undercover's runway show at Paris Fashion Week, each pair shares details like speckled overlays, Undercover branding stamped on the toe and heel portion of the midsole, and "We Make Noise Not Clothes" printed on the lateral and medial sections of the full-length Air Max bubble. Yellow, red, and black-based pairs will all be up for grabs.
Nike Air Max Plus III 'Black/Wolf Grey'
Price: $190
When: Saturday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m.
Where: footlocker.com and other select retailers
What You Need to Know: After bringing back the OG colorway earlier this month, Nike is dropping another Air Max Plus III. This time, the 2000 runner is dressed in a stealthy black and grey gradient. Leather overlays and a large plastic heel counter give the pair a look that still feels modern 19 years after its initial release.
